


A Foundling's tale

by MissTeaVee



Series: Our Survival is our Strength [4]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Found Family, Gen, Paz is Mandokarla and will not allow children to be harmed, Pre-Canon, tw: child abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-21 17:34:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22133923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissTeaVee/pseuds/MissTeaVee
Summary: Normally Foundlings are brought back to the Covert by a Mandalorian who discovered them. This one, however, Found himself.Pre-canon for The Mandalorian by approx four years.Warning: Child abuse mentioned
Series: Our Survival is our Strength [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1707184
Comments: 34
Kudos: 274





	A Foundling's tale

They said that if you descended into the old sewer systems of Navarro, you wouldn’t come up again. There were Things down there, in the ash-choked darkness that would grab you and make you like them. If they Found you, you could never be able to return to the surface again. You could never see your parents again.

To Ten-year old Jiiv Kahra, it sounded more like hope than a horror story. Clutching at his bruised ribs, he peered at the hole that descended into the ground, trying to see through the grating. They said the sewers were dark and scary, the air too hot and bitter to breathe. But all of Navarro was Hot, all of its air was choked with ash. That was how the planet was. Could the sewers be that much worse?

If he could never see his parents again, never have to fear the blows that landed when he didn’t do exactly as they wanted, was that truly a bad thing? And if the monsters made you like them… then would he not be able to protect himself? He glanced around, afraid that his father might appear around a corner to drag him home. He didn’t have long before someone found him. If he stayed on the surface, it might not be his parents, but it could be someone worse… He’d been told stories of slavers, or even the Bounty hunters, some of whom had no problem selling some random urchin off to someone on another world for a few extra credits.

He pulled at the grating that covers the small hole, and found that he could lift it. Carefully he slipped down the tunnel, landing roughly on his feet and falling over. He pushed himself up to his knees and looked around nervously. All was quiet. It wasn’t actually too dark; Daylight filtered in through the gratings up above, and he decided that it wasn’t so bad down here.

* * *

His first night in the sewer tunnels, he curled up in a room of some sort, not knowing what it was for, but it was dry and quiet, so he huddled up and closed his eyes. The old storm sewer system even retained some heat, shielding him from the cloying cold of the surface. He slept for some hours, and only woke when he heard voices.

Jolting frightfully, Jiiv Kahra peered out into the hallway, listening. They spoke in a strange language, something he’d never heard before. He could recognize the cadence of huttese, and this was… not it. He huddled up against the edge of the room, praying that whomever it was wouldn’t spot him. He didn’t want to be found. There was the sound of feet walking, but no one came into his hiding spot, though even when the voices had long faded, he was too afraid to sleep again.

* * *

When light had started to filter down into the sewer tunnels Jiiv decided that he needed to find food of some sort. He crept down the tunnels, pausing at each intersection, trying to discern the right way to take. Sometimes could hear voices, and he’d panic and try to hide each time. After a while though, he realized that it was voices filtering down from the world above, and he started disregarding the sounds. He discovered that sometimes people tossed trash down through the grates, and rummaged through a pile, looking for food or water. There had to be a way back up to the surface, but he had yet to find one that he could use, not to mention he was too afraid to go up there, and be found again. Sometimes he swore he could hear someone calling for him.

The concept was terrifying.

As the light coming through the grates in the ceiling of his world started to fade on his first full day alone, Jiiv Karha was starved and lonely, but not very afraid. He was trudging along and feeling sorry for himself when movement caught his eye. He froze.

Far ahead of him down a long hall, a being exited a side tunnel and moved with purpose down another. He didn’t see much of them, though their head seemed to glint in the low light cast from the surface. There’d been no noise to betray them, and Jiiv realized that he was seeing one of the Things down here. One of the monsters.

It hadn’t seen him. Swallowing the dry lump in his throat, he carefully walked along the hallway, and took the next intersection, not wanting to get too close to who or whatever that other being had been. He wandered. looking for somewhere to sleep.

The sound of flowing water distracted him. He was deathly thirsty, not having had a sip of water since before fleeing to the tunnels. He tracked the sound to a small streamlet flowing out one of the manny gutter grates from above, and scooped his hands together to catch some. The water was discolored by ash, but it didn’t smell bad. Carefully he tasted it, and found it to be overwhelmly flavored with oil. But he was so thirsty... so he drank. And drank.

When his thirst had eased some, he tried to make a mental note of the location. He noticed small rodents drinking up the small rivulets of water flowing down the wall as well, and wondered if he could catch one. He’d seen creatures like them cooking in the bazaar. Meat was food…

He tried to sneak up and catch one of the little things, but they all ran away when he pounced. Frustrated, he chased one along the edge of the wall, around a corner, stopping when it ran into a small side passage that even a child like him would have to crawl. He got down on hands and knees and peered, wondering how far it went. When he saw light and the end of the little tunnel, he decided to explore.

He wasn’t thinking clearly, his thirst assuaged for now, but his head spinning nonetheless. He thought he could hear voices and stopped nervously, listening for a bit, but the sounds were indistinct. He could even hear some sort of hammering going on. It had to be coming from the surface, not down below. Emboldened, he continued to crawl forward. He stopped when he saw another open hallway, and… people?

He stayed where he was in his little passage, watching in disbelief. He could only see their lower bodies, but he could see heavy boots and knives. Sometimes there was armor of varying color and weight attached to the legs. The voices were soft and sharp, murmuring in Basic and that same biting language he’d heard the night prior. Strange... 

He crawled a bit closer, curious about who these people were, why were they in the sewers? He heard the sound of running feet and froze but… it was a child like him!?

The little one went right up to one of the strange people, who crouched down in front of her, speaking words Jiiv couldn’t hear. It didn’t matter, he was fixated on this strange being, who wore a helmet with a blank T-shaped visor, their body clad with weapons. In his addled state of exhaustion; starved, drunk on poisoned water, he though the shining T-visor was their face. Could these strange beings eat without mouths? Their armor shaped their body into sharp angles, and Jiiv feared being spotted; more than that, he feared for the other child, smaller than him and completely surrounded by these frightening blank-faced beings.

To his shock, the little girl held out her arms and was picked up by the strange armored being, who stood up with her. He heard the other child squeal out, though he didn’t know if it was excitement or fear. He swallowed nervously, and then he saw the child placed down upon the ground again and was relieved… except…

Her face was Gone. She was wearing a grey mask with a T-shaped visor. Jiiv gasped aloud in shock and fear. The stories came back to him. _Those in the sewers will make you like them if they Find you. If the Find you won’t be able to return to the surface again_. They’d found that other child, and now she was crouched on the floor mere meters from him, hands running over her new metal face.

A confused whimper escaped his mouth as he started to scooch backwards, wanting to get away as quickly as he could. He heard a curious comment, The thump of massive boots, and someone was kneeling in front of his little passageway. A T-shaped visor was looking right at him. “Now what are you doing in there, ad’ika?” They asked.

He shuffled backwards in fear, letting out a yelp when a sudden light from the shining helmet flashed over him. He froze, sensing that he was being stared at.

“You’re not one of our Foundlings,” Rumbled the voice curiously. “What are you doing down here?”

Jiiv tried to turn around, but the passage was too small. The monster tried to reach for him, his massive hands trying to close over one of Jiiv’s, but the motion was slow and easily dodged, fear giving the boy the motivation he needed to scootch backwards.

“Easy now young one, I’m not going to hurt you, I promise,” Rumbled out the armored form. “Come out, we can help you.”

Jiiv’s tongue was heavy in his throat, and he curled back further, until he was sure he was out of the way of the monster’s reach. He had to… had to get out. The world was starting to spin, the oily water he’d drunk before rising like bile in his throat. He retched, then kept scooting backwards, seeing The Monster pull away from the tunnel, hearing him call out asking for someone.

Then there was another Monster in his passage. It was shaped like another kid, just as big as Jiiv, maybe bigger. “Hiya!” It-he said. “I’m Tomad, who are you?”

Jiiv Kahra trembled, backing away faster now that he was being followed. The Monster didn’t follow, instead reaching for it’s face.

“Hey no no it’s okay, see?” He pilled off his face to reveal- a real face underneath. With eyes, a nose, and a smiling mouth. “It’s okay. We’re Mandalorians, we can help you!”

Mandalorians? Mandalorians weren’t real they were a myth… He stared, confused. It wasn’t a monster, it was a kid, his age wearing a helmet. Then the other reached out to him and he pulled away, frightened. He found himself free of the tightly little tunnel and scrambled to his feet, turning to run, and found himself faced with a wall of metal. Before he could even cry out, massive hands had covered his shoulders, holding him in place. “Easy now, youngster,” Rumbled out the same deep voice that had so frightened him when it’d first spoken. “It’s alright, you’re safe. I swear to you that I won’t hurt you and I won’t let anything or anyone else hurt you.”

Jiiv swallowed, frozen in fear. But then he was being knelt in front of, one of the giant’s hands gently brushing his cheek.

“My name is Paz Vizla, I am a Mandalorian warrior. I’m flesh and blood just like you, within my armor.”

There was a rustle, and Jiiv looked around to see that other boy popping out of the culvert he’d been hidden in. The other boy smiled widely at him, helmet tucked up under his arm. The giant- Paz, his name was Paz addressed him gently. “Tomad, could you go to your buir and ask him to prep his medical bay to do a checkup on a new foundling?”

“Yes Paz,” Said the other boy, trotting down the open hall and taking the first corner. Jiiv watched him go, feeling dizzy. Everything was so confusing… He turned back to the armored behemoth, and was shocked to see him pulling his gloves off. Human hands gently closed around one of Jiiv’s, a callused thumb rubbing the boy’s palm with unbelievably gentleness.

“See? I’m a person in here, just like you. I won’t let you be harmed.”

Jiiv wanted to believe him, he really did, but he knew all too well that grownups could hurt him. He knew what it meant when they were angry, and this was a soldier, many times more powerful than… than…

He stumbled, putting a hand to his head, panting, out of breath. Hands caught him and gathered him up, just holding him until he could breath again… but everything was so out of focus...

He knew what a medical ward looked like, and upon waking, he at least recognized that aspect of his surroundings. His head was clearer than it had been, and the sickly taste of oil that’d lingered since he’d drunk the filthy water was finally gone from his throat. He sat up, looking around wildly in confusion. This was no slapped together slaver’s clinic to tend their captives before selling them off, and it seemed too well stocked to be a volunteer clinic. There was no way someone would’ve paid to bring him to the only worthwhile Medical center on Navarro… so where-?

He turned his head and found the big armored man sitting on a seat by the wall, leaning on his knees. Jiiv swallowed nervously, studying him. His head felt clear, and he could think about what had happened now. Mandalorians… that’s what they’d said. They’d said they were Mandalorians.

He’d always thought Mandalorians were fairy tales like the Jedi. People that strong and noble couldn’t really exist, could they? But here he was, looking at Mandalorian’s mask. He swallowed, clenching his fingers on the bunk he’d been laid out on. “Where am I?”

“Our clinic,” Said the big man, his voice a low, gentle rumble. “You fainted and I brought you to see our doctor.”

“Oh,” He said, looking down at himself. His clothes were still in place, though an IV was in his arm, dispensing some kind of clear liquid. Footsteps had him jumping to see another Mandalorian, this one not so massive, a bright red armband on his left bicep.

“Hello little one, how are you feeling?”

“I’m… I’m better,” Jiiv said quietly.

“That’s good,” Said the doctor. Jiiv only noticed that he had bare hands when one lightly pressed to the boy’s forehead, feeling it. “Your fever’s broken, that’s good. You got something bad in your system, but it looks like it’s wearing off now. You’ll be just fine.”

“Thank you,” said Jiiv, because he had manners. The Doctor’s voice was calm and gentle, and Jiiv felt okay around him, even with the emotionless T-visor.

“I do have a question,” Said the doctor, his copper mask tilting slightly, his tone still light and gentle. “My scans indicated a lot of bruises, and cracked ribs. Who did that to you?”

Jiiv hugged himself, looking away. “No one.”

A long pause, and then the doctor let out an audible sigh through his helmet. “What’s your name?”

“Jiiv,” Said the boy.

“Do you know your last name, Jiiv?”

He hesitated. If he told them his last name… they could find his parents and give him back. He… He really didn’t want that. He glanced towards where Paz was quietly watching. Maybe it’d be better though, these people were so big and strong and… when they got angry it would no doubt be so much scarier.

“Kahra,” He said quietly.

“Jiiv Kahra,” Murmured the doctor, picking up a datapad and typing on it. Jiiv hunched in further on himself, and winced as it strained his ribs. Both Mandalorians noticed the motion, Paz straightening slowly.

“Easy now, I have some bacta, we’ll see about your ribs with that,” Said the Doctor. “Can you lift your shirt for me?”

Jiiv hesitated, but did as he was asked, pulling his shirt off his skinny body. There was a low hiss from both Mandalorians that made him jump. He looked down, seeing that his many bruises had turned to ugly shades of red, purple, and wax. Ashamed, he closed his eyes.

“Who did this?” Snarled Paz. Jiiv dropped his shirt and flinched away from the big man. The Doctor stepped between him and Paz, lifting one hand, not as if he was trying to ward Paz off, but as if he was telling him to settle down. Paz audibly took a deep breath. “I’m sorry Kid. Jiiv. I won’t hurt you, no one should ever hurt you. I’m angry that someone would do this to you.”

Jiiv blinked in disbelief. He’d never seen a grown up stop their anger like that. He thought that grown ups had to lash out, their feelings were too much… He swallowed, looking down, wanting to trust that he was truly safe; that these people wouldn’t hurt him. He looked up at the Doctor, who had picked up what looked like a paintbrunt, and was gathering some strange glowing blue stuff on it.

“Raise your shirt again Jiiv, the Bacta will make this pain go away.”

Jiiv nodded, lifting his shirt hesitantly. The brush tickled when it touched his skin, and more than that… every pass that left the glowing goo on his skin made the pain fade away. He closed his eyes, relaxing. The jar of medicine was set aside, the doctor nodding. “That’s good Jiiv, keep holding your shirt, I’m going to wrap some bandages to keep your clothes from rubbing the bacta off.”

“Okay,” He said quietly, shivering from the cold. He looked towards Paz, confused and shy, but starting to Trust the man’s word. He wanted to trust so badly. He bit his lower lip, then addressed the big man. “I ran away from home and came here because my dad’s scared of the monsters down here.”

“He should be,” Rumbled Paz. “Those down here would tear him to shreds if he came looking for you. But you’re safe with us. We won’t give you back to be hurt.”

When the bandages were done being wrapped, Jiiv made his choice. He pulled his shirt down to cover the white cloth that held his ribs in place to heal, and hopped off the medical table to stand in front of the giant who’d brought him here.

Then he reached up his arms like he’d seen that other child do.

* * *

They said that if you descended into the old sewer systems of Navarro, you wouldn’t come up again. There were scary things down there in the darkness that would take you in and make you like them. If they Found you, you would never return to the surface again. You would never see your parents again.

Ten year old Jiiv Vizla was very happy with that.

**Author's Note:**

> Tomad takes his helmet off to show Jiiv that he's a person under it without trouble because he's a kid. I figure while Mandalorian kids get their helmets early, they're not obligated to keep them on the same way the adults are. They just like to act grown up and keep them on as much as possible.


End file.
